Day in Rock Report for 02/01/2018

Today's Day in Rock Stories

(hennemusic) The Stone Temple Pilots are streaming a new single, "Roll Me Under", from their forthcoming self-titled album ahead of its release on March 16. In addition to their previously-announced dates in March and festival dates this spring, Stone Temple Pilots have announced 14 new dates in May.

The new track follows "Meadow" as the second tune previewed from the set, the band's first with new lead singer Jeff Gutt. A veteran of the Detroit music scene, Gutt was chosen during the group's open audition call for a vocalist after the 2015 departure of Chester Bennington, who returned to Linkin Park before his passing last year.

Gutt made his live debut with the group during an exclusive November 14 show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA. "We are thrilled about what lies ahead," says guitarist Dean DeLeo. "The best way for us to honor our past is to keep making new music." Listen to the new song and see the tour dateshere.

(hennemusic) Megadeth have launched their 35th anniversary celebrations with the release of a video for "Lying In State", a track from their 2016 album "Dystopia."

"When I started Megadeth, I didn't imagine myself living for 35 years, let alone my band reaching this incredible milestone," says founder Dave Mustaine. "Thanks to almost everyone I've met, worked, and played with these last three and a half decades."

Mustaine co-formed Megadeth with bassist David Ellefson in Los Angeles in 1983, shortly after the guitarist's dismissal from Metallica. "Lying In State" is the first offering by the band as they begin their 35th anniversary celebrations this year, which will feature special releases and events.

"When we were on tour in Sao Paulo in 2016, we filmed the 'Conquer or Die' video," frontman Dave Mustaine tells Rolling Stone. "We were so impressed with Brazilian award-winning director Leo Liberti, that we had him do the 'Lying in State' video as well. We had several friends and fans of the band, as well as the production crew, play roles in the video. Huge thanks goes to [Megadeth lead guitarist] Kiko Loureiro for introducing us to Leo. I especially like how bad ass Vic was with the sword. Who knew?" Watch the video

(Radio.com) A U.S. District Court judge has determined that U2 did not violate copyright laws with their song "The Fly" from the 1991 album Achtung Baby. English musician Paul Rose had filed suit against U2, claiming his song "Nae Slappin" inspired a 12-second segment of "The Fly" and sought damages from U2 and Universal Music Group.

The judge dismissed the case, noting that similarities between "The Fly" and "Nae Slappin" were not "qualitatively significant," reports Billboard. In his suit, Rose claimed he sent a demo tape to UMG between 1989 and the release of Achtung Baby. The experimental musician said the guitar line, bass line and percussion U2 used in "The Fly" mimicked his demo, as did the band's chord shifts from E7 to A7. More broadly, he claimed "The Fly" shares a "dimension of sound" with "Nae Slappin."

Judge Denise Cote determined that only six percent of Rose's track shares elements with the U2 song. That "fragment," she wrote, bears little significance to "The Fly" as a whole.

"The fragment appears only once near the beginning of the recording; it is not repeated," she wrote. "It is one of multiple, at times seemingly random, guitar lines and styles strung together over the course of the composition." Read more

(hennemusic) Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain will publish his memoir, "Don't Stop Believin'", on May 1. Co-written with Travis Thrasher, the project marks the first book by a member of the San Francisco, CA band that continues to sell out arenas and stadiums around the globe.

Alongside Steve Perry and Neal Schon, Cain is co-writer of the number one digital catalog song in history, "Don't Stop Believin'", as well as several other hits by the group.

The memoir sees Cain share stories from his childhood growing up in Chicago and the lasting impact surviving a horrific school fire had on his life. The multi-instrumentalist's love for music and his perseverance brought him to Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles where he discovered a wild rock scene before getting his big break.

"Don't Stop Believin'" includes revelations about Journey's history - including Perry's decision to leave the band - chronicling their massive success along with some surprising failures and Cain's hopes to leave a lasting legacy through his music.

Cain also shares about his marriage to pastor Paula White, which has caused some friction in the Journey camp in the past year following Journey's induction into the 2017 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Just months after the honor, an apparent feud between Schon and Cain went public, with both parties directing social media posts at each other while singer Arnel Pineda attempted to calm the waters as mediator. Read morehere.

(Gibson) Well, they're kids just out of high school, but they've certainly already "made it." Michigan rockers Greta Van Fleet has been tapped to perform at Elton John's upcoming Academy Awards viewing party, set for Sunday, March 4, at West Holly Park in Los Angeles.

Will Sir John join the guys for a rendition of "Highway Tune" at the event? Only time will tell. This is the 26th edition of John's annual gathering, and the festivities usually involved him performing a few songs for the special guests. On top of the live music, attendees will have a "sumptuous dinner" prepared by the chefs of El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain.

The party also features an auction. For the past 25 years, John's party has raised more than $62 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The co-chairs for this year's event include some big names: Steven Tyler, Beck, Sharon Osbourne, Beck, Katy Perry, Ellen DeGeneres, Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris. Read more

(Radio.com) The life and music of Chuck Berry, one of the forefathers of rock and roll, will be chronicled in two upcoming projects — a full-length documentary and a biopic. Both are being made with the full cooperation of the late rocker's estate.

The British-based company Cardinal Releasing Ltd. signed the production deal with Berry's estate and widow Thelmetta Berry. Principal photography has begun on the documentary, tentatively titled Chuck! The Documentary. There is no release date yet for the doc, though producers expect to finish it this summer, at which point the biopic will enter pre-production, reports Deadline.

Chuck! The Documentary will be helmed by Jon Brewer, who has previously worked on films about B.B. King, Nat King Cole and Jimi Hendrix. 'I am very privileged to be able to produce and direct this fully authorized and official story of the legendary Chuck Berry," Brewer said in a statement. Read more

The Racer are changing direction and releasing new singles one at a time instead of following traditional album path. We asked frontman Pete Marotta to tell us about the recent track "Isolation". Here is the story:

Isolation was written during a time of major changes within our band and within our country amid the 2016 presidential election. Everywhere we looked, we saw division. Even within our own band. There were not only political differences but also creative ones. Some members of the band wanted to continue the development of our sound and write the same way we always had. A band playing in a room and writing songs that were following a natural growth while not being afraid to play to our strengths. Other members wanting to scrap that process all together in favor of writing in the studio and using it as an instrument in order to explore sounds and song ideas that we never had before and try to avoid any of our musical tendencies.

While we were arguing about how to begin the next chapter of the band, we were watching our friends and family fighting with each other over the current political environment. It was really hard to see people turning on each other or just flat out shutting people out of their lives over political ideologies. It was becoming a familiar cycle playing out. Provide opinion, disagree, argue, accuse, name call, unfriend, or just ignore. I couldn't help but feel that our disagreement over the direction of the band was going to be a lot to overcome. This song proved to be a true reflection of how our conflict was dealt with.

The song started as a piano idea brought in by Eric. It came across really well with just piano, bass, guitar, vocals, and drums. A great song achieved with just the sound of the band playing in a room. It wasn't ground breaking but it was moving. Half the band loved it and half the band wanted to mess with it because they felt it was too familiar for us. Once again, it felt like us vs. them. After a lot of long and tough conversations we came to an understanding. We would write in the studio as one side of the band would keep pushing us to avoid tendencies, grow, and experiment while the other half would push for songs that would be able to stand up in their simplest form. This song represents a marriage of the two philosophies as both methods were incorporated. The foundation of the song is in fact the sound of the band but with studio experimentation adding a unique soundscape for a colorful and fresh listening experience. I am so thankful that both sides pushed as hard as they did. This current writing process has yielded us songs that we feel truly proud of because we feel like we have grown both musically and as friends. There is an appreciation for the chemistry between us and what each member brings to the table. It reminded me how grateful I am to be in a band. We disagree and argue all the time but have learned how to do so in a respectful way and with an open mind. How else can you evolve as a musician or as a person?

This is not a political song because as a band we cannot agree on most things politically. Instead, it's a plea that we don't let divisive times define us. That we don't let our pride hold us prisoner. It doesn't mean we will agree. To this day our band still does not see eye to eye on many things politically, but we have a much better understanding of why we feel the way we do and have found many common threads that connect us. I know that by disrespecting each other we will never get to a better place. It's about the walls we build around us. Whether those walls are political or personal. It's a plea to keep the conversations going. It's easy to rid your life of all the people you disagree with and only surround yourself with like minded individuals. I want to learn. I want to grow. I want to challenge and be challenged. I want to question and be questioned. I want to connect. I don't want to be in isolation.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself

(Radio.com) The Strokes' sixth studio album may still be missing in action but frontman Julian Casablancas is busy promoting new material by his side project, The Voidz.

On Tuesday night (Jan. 30), the band dropped by The Tonight Show to perform its new single "Leave It In My Dreams." And performance is now streaming online.

The Voidz's second studio album Virtue debuts in March; last week they revealed a track list. Fans have already heard "Leave it In My Dreams" as well as the album's second single "QYURRYUS." Watch the TV appearance

(Gibson) Gibson rocker Lzzy Hale is one of modern rock's biggest female names. As the singer and guitarist for Halestorm, Hale travels the world rocking festivals and headlining gigs, and she knows what it's like to be one of the only women on the bill.

Hale gives her thoughts on the #MeToo movement in a new chat with Eric Blair of "The Blairing Out with Eric Blair Show." "As a woman in this industry, I understand the daily struggle. I go through it myself. I've dealt my entire career with sexist and condescending people," Hale explained in the interview. "At the same time, I was raised by parents who didn't really put any limitations to my dreams or to my aspirations. As in whether I was a boy or a girl, if you wanna be a rodeo clown or a rock star or a doctor, it doesn't matter - you can do anything. So I was very naive for a long period of time, because I just had blinders on and just did it."

Hale added that as a member of Halestorm, she "never felt like I was viewed as somebody that's just there to pretty up the band or a marketing gimmick; it was always I'm just kind of one of the dudes." Read more

(hennemusic) John Mellencamp will perform on CBS-TV's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday, February 1. The rocker will deliver the song "Easy Target" from his most recent release, "Sad Clowns & Hillbillies."

Mellencamp's 23rd studio album - which peaked at No. 11 on the US Billboard 200 - sees the singer working with country legend Carlene Carter, who opened every show of his acclaimed 2015-2016 Plain Spoken tour.

Carter is also a special guest on a documentary about the trek, "Plain Spoken: From The Chicago Theater", which will be available for streaming on Netflix starting Thursday, February 1.

Directed by Barry Ehrmann, the project captures Mellencamp and his band in performance in support of his 2014 album, "Plain Spoken", at the landmark Chicago Theater in October of 2016. Read more

The 18-year-old singer and songwriter started by playing the bassline for the Police song, which she immediately looped. Then she put down the instrument, picked up a guitar and performed the shimmering Radiohead passages and sang along with the beat of a drum machine. Trouw's debut album Unraveling dropped last year.

Host Jimmy Kimmel earned extra headlines by booking Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress reported to have had an affair with President Donald Trump. That State of the Union address counter-programming included some excellent music.

(Radio.com) Still glowing from their Best Rock Album win for A Better Understanding, GRAMMY-winning rock band The War on Drugs have added a new batch of summer shows to their itinerary.

The War on Drugs have announced that they will launch their headline tour on July 5 at Royal Oak Music Hall in Detroit. Dates run through July 28 in Camden, New Jersey.

The band was already scheduled to hit the road on April 11 in Las Vegas and play through June 17 in Hunter, New York at the Mountain Jam festival. The War on Drugs' new concert schedule includes festival appearances at Shaky Knees, Panorama and Coachella. See the dates

(Radio.com) Chvrches are back. The Scottish synth-rock outfit have returned with a new song, "Get Out." The cut adheres pretty closely to the classic Chvrches sound, pairing a heavy synth bass line with an uplifting melodic chorus powered by singer Lauren Mayberry.

The track was produced by Greg Kurstin, who took Producer of the Year at this year's GRAMMYs for his work with the Foo Fighters, Beck, Kendrick Lamar and more.

'Working with Greg was so different to what we'd done before, but it also felt so comfortable and like he'd been in our band forever," the band said in a press statement.

'He doesn't try to make you write a certain kind of song," Chvrches continued. "He just listens and then Jedi puppet masters the best work out of you. The opening synth riff of 'Get Out' was the first thing to emerge on our first day in the studio with him." Listen to "Get Out"

(Radio.com) When it's time for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to get pumped up for a game, he turns to contemporary hip-hop, alternative and a dash of classic rock.

The Super Bowl-bound QB opened up about the recording artists he listens to when it's time to get ready to play during a press conference in Minnesota on Tuesday (Jan. 30).

"Music is a great thing for me. That's probably what I do most," Brady explained about his favorite music. "It just depends what I want to kind of get up for. A lot of JAY-Z, Coldplay, U2, Pearl Jam, Kendrick Lamar. A lot of guys in the locker room are playing stuff, so there's a lot of things I like."

The quarterback's Coldplay fandom is on record, with Brady shouting them out during a press conference last summer, where he talked about wanting to see the band's show at Gillette Stadium.

"They're one of my favorite bands, so it's pretty convenient tonight," Brady at the presser, which was happening the same day as the show. "I think I might try to sneak out there. I'd like to be out there. I think we have meetings to a certain point, but after that, I'd love to see it" (via ESPN). Read more